The transmission capacity (ultimate bit rate) of a digital wireless communications system is based on a number of different parameters including (a) total radiated power at the transmitter, (b) the number of antenna elements at the transmitter and receiver, (c) noise power at the receiver, (d) characteristics of the propagation environment, (e) bandwidth, etc. For a wireless transmission system employing an appreciable number of antennas at both the transmitter and receiver and operating in a so-called Rayleigh fading environment even without coding, the bit rate could be very large, e.g., 36 bits per second per Hz with a reasonable Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of 18 dB. Heretofore, it was difficult for a communications system to exchange data at a fraction of such a rate. The main reason for this is that the prior art did not appreciate the problems that had to be solved in order to build a large bit rate system.